Students currently enrolled in the LL.M. Program sometimes inquire about transferring into the J.D. Program.

American employers generally prefer to hire J.D. graduates for traditional American legal practice. While foreign LL.M. students may be at an advantage with international employers, J.D. students, who have had three years of American legal study as opposed to one, may be at an advantage with American legal employers.

Current UCLA LL.M. students are allowed to apply to the J.D. Program as transfer students during the transfer application period (early May through early July of each year). The Law School Admission Test (LSAT) is not required. The applicant’s grades and the relative difficulty of coursework pursued in the LL.M. Program at UCLA will be weighed heavily. The admissions process is extremely selective (more selective than the LL.M. Program), and students with very high grades will be the most competitive. Letters of reference from UCLA School of Law faculty will also carry significant weight.

If the applicant is accepted into the J.D. Program, he or she may transfer the credits from law classes taken toward the completion of the LL.M. degree, with the exception of the required LL.M. introductory course, Law 570.

The student must then complete the first year curriculum in his or her second year at UCLA. In the third year, enough advanced courses must be completed in order to satisfy the J.D. graduation requirement. No LL.M. degree is awarded.

Only students currently enrolled in UCLA’s LL.M. Program may apply in this manner. Those who have already been awarded an LL.M. at UCLA or elsewhere may apply as traditional J.D. applicants to the three-year program. This will require the submission of a valid LSAT score.

Questions about the J.D. application process should be directed to the Admissions Office.